WARNING… THIS AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL ARTICLE, “MAY

CAUSE TRIGGERING BEHAVIOR”… related to: ANXIETY,

TOURETTE’S, TRICHOTILLOMANIA, ECHOLLIA, SCROUPILOSITY…

and OTHER, “ABERRANT” BEHAVIOR… in the GROUPS

readership!!!

As I write this, I’m once more faced with the spectre of homelessness!!! This makes the fifth time, in fourteen months!!! And, at 57 years of age, the street, is harder on us older folk; than on youth… who “see it” as an ADVENTURE!!! I just moved into a large, “efficiency” single… in an OLD brownstone building; built in the 1920’s… about three months ago!!! And NOW, I’ve been hit, with an Eviction Notice… The “reason” given… I HAVE TOO MUCH STUFF!!! Also, IT’S “ILLEGAL” to sublet an apartment in the City of Los Angeles, due to HIGH DEMAND; and SHORT SUPPLY!!!

Now… the “MANAGEMENT” DID ACCEPT my PAYMENT of RENT; they EVEN, wrote out A RECEIPT in MY NAME… NOT the NAME of the TENANT OF RECORD!!! But, THE “REAL” REASON, is RELATED
TO: “FINANCIAL INCENTIVE”!!!When I MOVED IN… there was a PUBLIC SCHOOL,under construction; and in the FINAL STAGES of COMPLETION, and OPENING for CLASSES
and STUDENTS… this AUGUST 15!!! So, the “FINANCIAL INCENTIVE” IS THIS: I’M COLLECTING
A “DISABILITY PENSION”… and, at $651, I am PAYING “LESS” than MARKET RATE; which for THIS TYPE OF APARTMENT is: anywhere from $950 per month, to 1,200 in the lower middleclass sections of the city, and UP TO $2,600 per month, in the “TONYER”… “better” neighborhoods!!! This city has a “rent control” ordinance in place, to where; they can ONLY RAISE THE RENTS, FOUR PERCENT… ONCE A YEAR; UNLESS, THE APARTMENT GET’S “VACATED”… THROUGH “MOVE OUT” OR “EVICTION”!!!So… by “throwing people out in the street”… THEY GET TO “INCREASE THE RENT”… and INCREASE THEIR “PROFITS”!!!And, IN MY CASE… NOW, that the SCHOOL is READY for OCCUPANCY… the “INCENTIVE” is to “KICK US OLD TIMERS OUT”… and,OFFER THE APARTMENTS, TO “LAZY FAMILIES” (with“EXPENDABLE INCOME”) WITH KIDS!!! So, that “THE KIDS”, can “JUST RUN ACROSS THE STREET” to the SCHOOL; no wonder, THIS COUNTRY’S KIDS, HAVE “WEIGHT” PROBLEMS!!!The Management, DOESN’T take into account… THE “AMOUNT OF NOISE”… that a SCHOOL GENERATES… BELLS, ALL DAY LONG… KIDS “YELLING and SCREAMING”… BETWEEN CLASSES… and, TRAFFIC NOISE, from PARENTS… DROPPING OFF, AND PICKING UP their KIDS; TWICE A DAY!!! So, THAT’S WHY… I’m FACING HOMELESSNESS AGAIN!!!

As to my OCD… my FIRST “OCD THING”… was FUNNY WALKS!!! By that I mean… NOT BEING ABLE
TO “STEP ON CRACKS”, ON THE SIDEWALK, or crossing PARQUETTE FLOORS; or “ANYTHING”
WITH “CRACKS” ON IT!!! I’D spend SO MUCH TIME, looking AT MY FEET; thatI would “run into things”… or “BANG MY HEAD” on the METAL FITINGS, SUPPORTING THE LOW HANGING STOREFRONT AWNINGS… TELEPHONE POLES, PEOPLE… well, YOU “GET” THE IDEA!!! ALSO, since I GREW UP in Germany; I ALSO, had to deal with… the COBBLE STONES, while CROSSING THESTREET!!! It
was like “a lumberjack”, “rolling logs” in a SURE-FOOTEDNESS CONTEST… only, I had to
step “EXACTLY” on the “CURVED” part of the cobble stone, while crossing the street!!!  Often, I’d narrowly be missed by a vehicle, skirting behind or in front of me; while I did my “magical” dance, on the top of those cobble stones…STILL crossing the street… while the light had turned red!!!

((NOTE: More on that, in Part Three: “Stepping

Stones: Grandmama’s Parquetted Wooden Floor))

TRIGGER AREA

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I’D ALSO, have to “COUNT” the “NUMBER OF STEPS” that I took… to “WALK ANYWHERE”!!!
And, “COUNTING and CHECKING” CARS; categorizing them… BY “MAKE”, “MODEL”, “COLOR”, “YEAR”, the “NUMBER OF PASSENGERS”, ETC, ETC; until… I WAS “EXHAUSTED”!!! There
were also, “EATING RITUALS”; having to “CHEW” everything a “CERTAIN NUMBER OF TIMES”… eating “EACH ITEM” SEPERATELY… SPECIFIC FOODS THAT, I “WOULDN’T” or “COULDN’T” EAT!!! And, “DRESSING RITUALS”… from “THE BOTTOM UP”…and, “SOX” had to “MATCH” TOP SHIRT… things like

that!!!

TRIGGER AREA

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